Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-11-19
VII.
SUSPENSE,

- WV w a Niilo u dkN "SS
flying toward us? Lying still on the side
track ut the left hand of Kingston station,
those agonies Of suspense and intense al
formations of hope and fear which were
harder to bear than all the exertions Of
Fuller and his companions! The local
freight train came US previously narrated,
II had drawn down the road to LET tho
extra follow it, and still give us room to
haul out above. Long and tedious was
the waiting. But when We almost des-
paired the extra came. But alasl on this
train, also, was a red flag! On being
questioned as to the meaning Of another
train, the conductor said that there were
too many cars and too great a load for one
engine, and that another section was made
up, and would be along shortly. The de-
lay for these two trains had already been
little less than an hour; md here was a
third train still blocking the road before
us! How Andrews wished that no had
taken the risk of running out in the face
OF the first extra and had tried to make,
at least, the station above! We could
easily have succeeded. But now, in the
absence of some telegraphic mcssage-and
no report was made to that office, while
Andrews hardly thought it prudent to tel
egraph for instructiOns!-it would be mad
ness to run out between the two sections
of Il bclatea train. 1t was better to wait,
even if that entailcd the risk of n fight.
For this possibility Andrews made ready:
he said to Knight:
& back and tell the boys, without
attracting attention, that We have to wait
for {" train that is behind time, and for
them to be ready to Jump at the signal" il
needed, and fight"
Knight sauntcred carelessly along down
the train, just as if he was tired to death
with waiting and did not know what 10
Ito with himself; and leaning against our
car, without turning his head or eyes
toward us, said in a low ton which we
heard perfectly:
Boys, we have to wait for n train that
is II little behind time, and the folks
around are getting mighty uneasy and
suspicious. BE ready to jump out, II You
are called, and let them have it hot and
fast"
We did not know how many of the
"nncasy folks' there might be about;
and SO unbcarable had become the sus-
lensc Of being shut up In that dark car,
and hearing the sound Of voices outside.
without being able to distinguish, the
words or know what was going on, that u
command t" spring ont and begin u deadly
strife would have been welcomed as IL
relief, without much regard to numbers.
We said we were ready; W" had been
ready at any time the last hour! Still VIC
carefully examined the printing of every
revolver, and saw that reserve amnlmi-
ton was in pockets within easy reach.
We did not intend, if it came to Il fight,
To shoot at long range, but to close right
in, where every shot would be deadly.
That we could. with the surprise of au
unexpected assault, and firing each time
TO kill, have cleared the station of four
times our lumber I have never doubted
Could any situation be imagined by poet
or novelist more trying than that Of this
carload of Union soldiers shut up in the
midst Of Confederate trains!
But we were not called upon to quiet
the ''uneasincss" outside, which was fully
as great as Knight had described, in my
such summary anner. Andrews played
his part with surprising skill. The people
around, and especially the old switch ten
der, began to gru,nblc something about
being sure that all was not right. A good
many questions were asked rs to why
Fuller, with the regular train, was not
along by this time, and Why the supcrin-
tcndent of the rOad at Atlanta had not
sent notice of the powder train. Andrews
answered each suggested question very
briefly and plausibly, hut without appear
ing at all anxious about their opinion;
grumblcd a little about the bad manage
ment of a road that would allow its track
to be blocked at n time like this, and gave
accounts OF himself in the camp of Bcaurc-
gard with an air so confident and truthful
that no one venturcd to question him. L
think there was only one thing, aside
from the dangerous delay, which he really
dreaded. He kept very near the telc-
graph office, and, without seeming to do
so, closely watched the operator. The at
tempt to telegraph any kind of Il message
up the limo would have probably brought
on an immediate collision.
Brown relates q curious little episode as
occurring here. lie noticed a man who
watched Andrews for q short time, and
then, when no one else vas near, stepped
close to him and handed him Il large and
seemingly we'll filled envelope. Andrews
smiled and placed it in his vest pocket.
Brown intended to ask about it, but more
pressing business put it ont Of his mind.
Probably this was an incident of Andrews
c~ontraband trade, and the package con-
tanned an order for goods. with the money
to pay for them.
Fuller and his party were now not many
miles away, and were making more rapid
time toward us than had ever been made
on that road before. But we knew moth
ing of that-supposed that we were still
an hour ahead of any pursuit that could
be imagined. We had been at this place
one hour and five minutes! It seemed to
those shut up in the box car nearer half n
day! and when the whistle of n train was
heard, which fortunately for us was first
from the north-not the pursuing train
from the soulful was about as welcome
as the boom Of Mitcicls cannon. with
which we expected to I've greeted in the
evening when our work was done. This
last extra came up to the platform as the
others had done, and was at once ordered
by Andrews to draw on down the road
that we might have room to 90 out. The
conductor obeycd without hesitation. and
this obstruction was removed.
1t only remained to adjust the switch so
that we might again get on the main
track. This Andrews directed the old
switch tender to do, but he had been
getting in q worse and worse humor for
the whole Of the last hour; he had hung
up his keys, and now roughly declared
that he would not take them down again
until Andrews showed him by what au-
thority he was ordering everybody about
as If he owned the whole road! We who
were shut up in the box car heard the
loud and angry voice. and supposed that
the time for us to act had come: yet we
waited for our leaders, command as we